The present invention relates generally to inks used in ink-jet printers and, more particularly, to inks for reducing kogation in ink-jet printheads.
Modern thermal ink-jet printers offer a low cost, high quality, and comparatively noise-free option to other types of printers commonly used with computers. Such printers employ a resistor element in a chamber provided with an egress for ink to enter from a plenum. The plenum is connected to a reservoir for storing the ink. A plurality of such resistor elements are arranged in a particular pattern, called a primitive, in a printhead. Each resistor element is associated with a nozzle in a nozzle plate, through which ink is expelled toward a print medium. The assembly of printhead and reservoir comprises an ink-jet pen.
In operation, each resistor element is connected via conductive trace to microprocessor, where current-carrying signals cause one or more selected elements to heat up. The heating creates a bubble of ink in the chamber, which is expelled through the nozzle toward the print medium. In this way, firing of a plurality of such resistor elements in a particular order in a given primitive forms alphanumeric characters, performs area-fill, and provides other print capabilities on the medium.
A problem with inks used in such thermal in-jet printers is that the repeated heating of the resistor element over several hundreds of thousands or over millions of firings can cause breakdown of the ink, with consequent fouling of the surface of the resistor element. This process has been termed xe2x80x9ckogationxe2x80x9d, which is defined as the build-up of residue (koga) on the resistor surface. In other words, residue on the heater elements degrades ink-jet pen performance. Degraded performance is often evidenced by, for example, loss of drop weight, loss of drop velocity, nozzle misdirects or xe2x80x9coutsxe2x80x9d and ink puddling on the nozzles.
Various ink compositions have been developed in an effort to reduce kogation. For example, in the anionic dyes (sulfonate or carboxylate) commonly employed in aqueous inks used in thermal ink-jet printing, sodium is generally the counter-ion used. However, while dyes containing sodium counter ions generally provide good print quality, sodium counter-ions have been found to contribute to the kogation problem.
It has been discovered, for example, that oxyanions, especially phosphates, may reduce kogation. The mechanism may be attributed to the additive eliminating or reducing adsorption of dye and/or decomposition products onto the resistor. Organic acid sulfonate, such as sodium methane sulfonate, and bile salt (e.g., sodium cholate) isopropanol/water rinse is disclosed that functions to remove phosphate antistatic material from ink foam. U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,330 discloses the additives may have some utility in reducing kogation as macrocyclic polyethers for complexing cations. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,520, an application of electrical pulses to ink-jet heater elements to reduce kogation. Other examples of kogation reduction techniques are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,062,893; 5,380,358 and 5,725,647.
The aforementioned references are evidence of ongoing and broadly based attempts to eliminate, or at least substantially reduce, kogation as a problem in ink-jet printheads. While these techniques have utility in a number of cases, a need still remains for the development of ink compositions capable of reducing kogation in an effective and efficient manner.
Desirably, such compositions would not only reduce kogation over the life of the printhead but would employ low cost, readily available chemicals that are utilizable with minimal additional processing during ink formulation.
In accordance with the present invention there are provided inkjet printer inks wherein kogation reduction is accomplished by the addition of phosphonate additives to the inks. In a preferred embodiment, the following are utilized: sodium salt of amino tri(methylene-phosphonic acid), 1-hydroxyethylidene- 1,1-diphosphonic acid, 1-Hydroxyethylidene- 1,1,-diphosphonic acid, diethylene triaminepenta(methylenephosonic acid); and potassium salt form of hexamethylenediamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid). Although in the examples disclosed herein, the salt form of the phosphonic acids were used, the acid form of the phosphonic acid can also be used provided the pH of the final inks are adjusted to desirable levels. Use of the above listed additives essentially eliminate kogation for the life of the pens, such as those used in Hewlett-Packard Company""s thermal inkjet printers. The additives are readily available from Solutia, Inc., Saint Louis, Mo., which markets the same under the Solutia Dequest(copyright) and Dequest(copyright) trademarks.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.